VIDEO: ‘Last Week Tonight’ covers WWE-Saudi Arabia relationship
Ahead of Crown Jewel, WWE’s deal with Saudi Arabia continues to receive more mainstream attention.
An 18-minute segment on the suspected murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi aired on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver on Sunday night. Oliver covered the United States’ relationship with Saudi Arabia and the relationship U.S. businesses have had with Saudi Arabia during the reign of Mohammad bin Salman.
Brief clips from April’s Greatest Royal Rumble were played, with Oliver saying that audiences from around the world were treated to “wall-to-wall propaganda.” Oliver later brought up WWE returning to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel on November 2. He did John Cena’s “You can’t see me” taunt and said “which I guess in this context means you don’t see these human rights abuses right here.”
Dave Meltzer noted on last night’s Wrestling Observer Radio that he was told that Crown Jewel will go on as scheduled unless the State Department or Donald Trump tells the company they can’t go.
The full “Last Week Tonight” segment on Saudi Arabia is available to watch below (WWE is mentioned at 6:55 and 17:00):
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.